Carpal tunnel syndrome occurs when the median nerve is squeezed where it passes through the carpal tunnel, thereby causing insanguination of the nerve, which leads to numbness, a cold feeling, and/or pain in the hand and fingers. The carpal tunnel is an anatomic passageway at the base of the wrist through which the median nerve and the flexor tendons for the fingers of the hand pass. It is defined by the carpal bones of the hand and the transverse carpal ligament. Carpal tunnel syndrome is commonly caused by highly repetitive hand motions over a number of years. For instance, carpal tunnel syndrome is common in certain professionals such as secretaries and other professionals who type on a keyboard regularly, carpenters, dentists or anyone who performs the same hand motions repeatedly and regularly.
The current standard of care for alleviating carpal tunnel syndrome is to incise the transverse carpal ligament to open up the carpal tunnel and release the pressure on the median nerve. With few exceptions, most people can manage daily activities with a severed transverse carpal ligament with almost no adverse effects.
The particular current procedure for carpal tunnel release is an endoscopic or arthroscopic procedure in which an incision is made in the wrist proximal of the carpal tunnel. An endoscope with a camera is inserted into the incision and through the carpal tunnel to allow the surgeon to visualize the carpal tunnel, and, particularly, the transverse carpal ligament, and then a knife is inserted alongside the endoscope to cut the transverse carpal ligament.